Saudi Arabia: Law professor imprisoned and incommunicado for writing about the future of the regime

Dr. Mohammed ‘Abdullah al-‘Abdulkareem, a 40-years-old law professor, married with three children, was arrested on December 5 at his home by four plain-clothed men, believed to be members of the General Intelligence Service (al-Mabahith al-‘Amma) of the Ministry of Interior as well as by several uniformed police officers.

According to activists in Saudi Arabia, minutes after his arrest, he called his wife that they were helding him arrested, but would return at night.

He did not return, and since then has been held incommunicado. Saudi activists believe he is in prison in Riyadh Al Ha’ir.

It is not known why he was arrested, but is believed to be related to an article he wrote and published on its Facebook Page on 23November.

In the article, written in Arabic and entitled “The crisis of political conflict between the ruling factions in Saudi Arabia,” posed the following question: “Is the continuity of the kingdom, united in an entity subject to the existence of the family [ruling]? “. He answered the question by examining the uncertainty surrounding the succession to the royal family and other institutional processes that affect the future of Saudi Arabia. He didn’t advocate violence in the article or referred to it at all.